Side door curtain for automobiles



May 5, 1931. c. P. WEAVER SIDE DOOR CURTAIN FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed March 16, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig.4

Fig. s

May 5, 1931. c. P. WEAVER SIDE DOOR CURTAIN FOR AUTOMOBILES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 16, 1927 INVENTDR Fig.12

Patented May 5, 1931 UNETE STATES PATENT OFFICE SIDE DOOR CURTAIN FOR AUTOMOBILES Application filed March 16,

This invention relates to improvements in curtains and more particularlv to automobile curtains and has for its object to provide a simplepeflicient and inexpensive device of this character.

' One of the objects of my invention lsto provide an improvement upona type of au tomobile curtain that is adjusted vertically of an auto side door window, moving upon two vertical straps secured to the window sills,

' the improvement consisting in rendering the curtain longitudinally adjustable to windows of various widths.

Another object of my invention is to provide a type of side door auto curtain which is composed of a plurality of sections, each made from fabric, each fabric curtain section being further provided with transparent panels serving as a sun shade or sun modifier in the sense that when the sun enters the window to which my curtain is applied, it is intercepted by the colored panel of the curtain, so when the light comes thru it is modified in dazzling brilliancy and will not harm the car occupants eyes nor interfere with his vision ahead.

A still further object of my invention is to'provide a side door curtain with means for varying the longitudinal area or the length of the curtain, so that one and the same curtain may be adapted in connection with side windows of varying widths. In this manner. it will not be necessary to provide various sizes of this curtain.

And a still further object of my invention is to provide a simple, eflicient and practical auto curtain made almost entirely from tex-i tile material, this curtain being designed to slide up and down to adjustedposition upon fabric tracks in the shape of guide straps, removably secured to the window frame so that as the sun changes position on the sky at difierent hours of the day the curtain can be shifted to intercept the same.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for shading or barring an open portion of a screen or other door or the like by means of an endless curtain provided with opaque portions upon two stretches thereof, and with transparent portions upon the same 1927. Serial No. 175,661.

stretches, the arrangement being such that when it is desired to present a view thru the door the endless curtain will be manipulated so as to be shifted where the transparent portions will be brought into registration withthe opening in the door, and simi-i larly, when it is desired to bar said opening the opaque portions of the curtain will be brought into. registration with themselves and with the opening in the door.

lVit-h the above and other objects in view my invention consists in the combination, arrangement and details ofconstruction disclosed in the drawings and specifications, and then more particularly pointed out-in the appended claims.

In the drawings, which are merely illustrative of my invention, and in which simi-- lar reference characters designate similarparts thruout the respective views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an auto-' mobile, in part, showing my curtain applied in position thereupon,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of one section of my curtain,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the reverse side of the curtain,

Figure 4 is a detail end view of one section of my curtain,

Fi ure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the marginal edge thereof, instead of disclosing the transparent panels,

Figure 6 is an end view showing two curtain sections in assembled relation,

Figure 7 is a side view showing the curtain sections assembled,

Figure 8 is an end View showing the as-' sembled curtains with'respect to supporting fabric tracks,

Figure 9 is a sectional vertical view'of a door equipped with a modification of my iiivention,

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 but showing'a changed position of the curtain relatively to the opening in the door,

Figure 11 is a fragmental front View of Figure 9,

Figure 12is a side view of one section of my curtain,

Figure 13 is a side view of another section of my curtain, and

Figure 14 is aview showing the two curtain sections in assembled relation, the central transparent panels of both not exactly registering.

In the drawings A designates any type of automobile and D designates a side window opening flanked by the window frame bars or top and bottom pieces C. 10 and 11 designate two preferably fabric straps, which are arranged vertically on adjacent edges of the window frame but at opposite ends of the curtain to be described. Any desired fasteners 12 may be provided for removably positioning the fabric straps 10 and 11 in parallelism vertically.

My curtain is made in a plurality of sections, say two sections. Each section is constructed out of fabric with the exception of the transparent colored panels which are made of sheet celluloid, isinglass or the like. The two curtain sections are designated re spectively 13 and 21. Section 13 is made of canvas or similar material and has at one end a narrow transparent panel 14 and at another end a relatively wider transparent panel 15, these panels being preferably colored, say green or yellow in order to modify the dazzling effects of the sun shining theret-hru.

Along the marginal edges of the curtain section 13 will be provided a series of button holes or eyelets or like members 15, placed where convenient and designed to allow straps 17, 18 or 22, 23 to be introduced. Straps 17 and 18 project beyondone end of. curtain 13, marginally thereof, while straps 22, 23 project beyond the opposite end of the other curtain section 21. These straps are of a length to virtually overlap the entire length of two curtains if necessary. Loops 16 may also be disposed marginally of the curtain sections and placed wherever desired to prevent the sagging of the straps and to contribute to hold the curtain sections in alinement.

The sections 13 and 21 of the curtain are assembled as follows :one.section has one end overlapping that of another section and they are placed in alinement; the width of the side door window of the automobile is then measured carefully; and the sections are then separated overlappingly until their associated length slightly exceeds the width of the window. Then straps 22 and 23 of curtain section 21 are passed thru the endmost eyelets 15a of section 13, and extend overlappingly a short distance in back of this section to overlie the transverse pockets 11a of this section, thru which passes the fixed guide strap 10; thence these straps pass thru other eyelets 15 adjacent strap 10, thence the straps disappear in back of curtain section 13, being supported against sagging by the loop or loops 16, then these straps 22, 23 come out in front of section 21 just adjacent the end edge of section 13, and go in again thru eyelets 15' and hence extend in back of section 21 until they are looped in and out of the straddling eyelets 15a at the opposite end of section 21; when these straps are drawn taut it will be seen that the curtain sections are in rigid alinement adjustably. It will be supposed that these sections have already been strung upon straps 10 and 11 forming the vertical tracks upon which the curtain is vertically adjusted in the window opening D. This having been done and the straps of the mated sections having been threaded as hereinbefore set forth the terminals of these straps will then be tied as follows; straps 17 and 18 may be severally tied one to the other after being allowed to project thru the eyelet nearest to itself located on the other curtain section; after being tied the straps will slightly project be.

yond' the point where it istied, and this extra projection constitutes a tab by means of which the curtain may be graspedhold of and shifted up and down vertically upon tracks 10 and 11. These tabs are shown in Figure 1 and are designated 100.

After the curtain sections 13 and 21 have been adjusted it will be seen that their central transparent colored panels will register, allowing the sun rays to pass therethru; in Figure 6 the transparent panels 15 exactly register, but in Figure 14 these same panels overlap'in a manner to allow only a certain portion of each panel to show them, due to the curtain sections being separated a greater distance than they are shown to be separated in Figure 6.

I also provide a modification of my invention designed for use in connection with screen doors specifically, altho other situations of use may be found desirable. The screen dooris designated 26 and has a sight opening 27 which it may be desired to bar in a manner to allow light to come thru, as when it is raining, or'at other times it may be desired to bar so as to cover this opening 27. For this purpose either the invention already described may be employed or else a special construction employed consisting of an endless belt designed to be trained upon either two rods for frictional engagement slidably therewith to shift the opposing stretches of this belt, or else the belt is trained upon rollers, to relieve friction.

In Figures 9 and 10 there is illustrated a frame consisting of two bearings 28 spaced apart vertically upon the back side of the screen door, and trunnioned within said bearings is a shaft 29 carrying a roller 30 upon which is trained an endless belt of fabric material; the belt consists of four consecutive portions to wit: opaque portion 31, transparent portion 34, opaque portion 32 and transparent portion 33; in other words the transparent portions and opaque portions alternate. One stretch of this belt is located in contiguity to the opening 27 in the door 26, so when this stretch is brought, by rolling the rollers 29, into position so as to register with this opening either the transparent portion 33 may register with this opening as shown in Fig. 9, or else the opaque portion 32 shown in Figure 10; since the two transparent portions or opaque portions of the belt are virtually of the same length and so distanced apart that when either of them comes into position alongside opening 27, the other will also come into the identically same position in back or" the other, it will be seen that the sun can come thru this opening but not the rain; by shifting the belt the opaque portions may be placed against this opening and they will register also and will be effective to prevent either rain, snow or light coming thru.

The color 01": the transparent panels especially when used on the sectional curtain is important due to the fact that when automobilin r the sun will come thru the side windows and exert a dazzling influence upon the occupants of the car; and a curtain that prevents the sun from coming in will prevent desirable light rayscoming thru the side of the car and will prevent the occupant observing tratfic thru the side window; and a panel not colored will allow the sun rays to come in unabated; the reason this curtain is adjustable vertically of the opening in window is because it can be shifted to intercept the suns rays; should the suns rays come thru the green colored panels the rays will not hurt the eyes of the occupants of the machine.

Numerous changes in sizes, material and arrangement and other variations may be resorted to in practice and these are covered in the appended claim.

hat I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is In combination with a frame having a window opening, a fabric curtain stretched so as to bridge said window opening, vertical runners disposed at the opposing ends of the frame window opening and slidably engaged by the opposing ends of said curtain to allow the curtain to be raised or lowered relatively to the window opening, said curtain being composed of overlying alining panel-carrying sections, a pair of parallel fabric tapes having terminals secured to but projecting beyond one end of one curtain section, the major length of which tape is free, said tapes designed to interengage and t0 skirtthe edges of the overlying curtain sections, a pair of parallel tapes similar in mounting and manner of attachment to the foregoing tapes but secured to the other section, flexible loops carried marginally by the respective sections thru which the tapes of the cooperating ad- 

